DisneyFanatic.com The Latest News, Advice, and Perspective from Disney Fans for Disney Fans!
Disney can’t seem to get it right. The Mouse House has been on the receiving end of much criticism lately, including now, with the recent union developments.
The battle between the Central Florida Cast Members union and the Walt Disney Company for Walt Disney World Resort Cast Members has been in the news for a while now. We’ve reported before on the protests by the union, the back and forth between the offers from the Walt Disney Company for work environment and compensation, and, most recently, the official rejection of the union of the Walt Disney World wage offer.
Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse at the Magic Kingdom/Courtesy of Disney
Read More: Cast Member Union Officially Rejects Disney World Wage Offer
While the union itself has officially rejected Walt Disney World’s offer for Cast Member working conditions, critics of the company have spoken out about the treatment of Disney Cast Members, sharing that while the Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort might be the Walt Disney Company’s attempt to create “a perfect vacation environment, those smiling “cast members” might not be smiling on the inside.”
In an article published by The Street, the writer highlights one of the biggest problems when it comes to why Cast Members might be treated poorly, and it boils down precisely to the Disney magic that many Guests flock to a Disney Theme Park for.
Disney CEO Bob Iger recently visited Disney World and praised Cast Members for their hard work but was promptly attacked by former fans for reportedly denying said Cast Members a living wage/Courtesy of @RobertIger/Twitter
As noted in the article,
Walt Disney does not want theme park guests to think of Disney World (or any other Disney theme park) employees as people. It sort of breaks the magic if you think about how the person in a costume helping you get on the “Jungle Cruise” or “Pirates of the Caribbean” might be worried about paying their rent or mortgage at the end of the month.
The entrance to Disney’s Animal Kingdom/Courtesy of Disney
As all Disney Fanatics can agree, Cast Members are the heart and soul of the Disney experience at any Disney Park, and it’s certainly not a favorable situation to have those very people struggle to make ends meet. The article, however, takes this one step further, sharing that because the union rejected Disney’s contract offer, it “could lead to a labor stoppage, which could force the company to curtail operations in Florida until the matter is solved or shut down until the labor issues get solved.” Per this argument, it’s not only the Disney World Cast Members who could suffer from the low offer but Disney themselves.
Disney spokesperson Andrea Finger released an official statement about the rejection that shared the Mouse House’s “disappointment” at the proceedings.
Stay tuned to Disney Fanatic for all the latest Disney news!
